English with Jo

Supermarket / Grocery Shopping

This is the preparation material for an English Conversation lesson about supermarkets and grocery shopping. You can watch a video showing a man talking about shopping at supermarkets and what shoppers can do to save money. Discover some typical supermarket-related vocabulary and learn how to answer conversation questions about this useful subject.

Video

• According to Randall, what should shoppers do to save money?
• Where did Randall mention as a place where shoppers can find coupons?

Vocabulary

Containers

• cans- of tuna, peaches
• packages- of sausage, gravy mix
• bottles- of milk, soda
• box- of cereal, cake mix
• jars- of jelly, olives
• cartons- of milk, eggs
• bags- of chips, cookies
• tubes- of toothpaste
• tubs- of butter

Conversation Questions

• Do you like supermarkets?
• How often do you do your grocery shopping?
• Which are better – big supermarkets or small grocery stores?
• What are the worst things about your local supermarket?
• What are the best things about your local supermarket?
• Do you write a shopping list before you go to the supermarket?
• Do you ever buy organic groceries?
• What types of food can you find in the frozen foods section?
• What types of food can you find in the canned goods section?
• What do you think of the staff in your local supermarket?
• Can you always find the things you need in a supermarket?
• What improvements would make your local supermarket better?
• Would you like to work in a supermarket?
• What’s your favourite supermarket and why?
• Do you think there should be rules for children in supermarkets?
• What do you think supermarkets will be like in 50 years’ time?
• How much grocery shopping do you do every week?
• Do you try to buy healthy food?
• What are typical things you buy at the supermarket?
• Do you ever use discount coupons?
• How could supermarkets be improved?
• Do you think supermarkets will disappear in the future and we’ll have Internet delivery of the things we need?
• If you had 2 minutes to fill your supermarket trolley for free, what would you fill it with?
• Do you think supermarkets should stop selling junk food?
• What do you think about the confectionary items placed near the cash register to tempt children who are waiting with their mothers?
• What tips can you think of to make sure you are getting the best buy at supermarkets (e.g. testing the products, using coupons, comparing prices at different stores etc.)
• Can you name five different sections that can be found in a supermarket? (e.g. dairy products)